Tom Hardy, star of the upcoming Venom movie, has shared a new poster for the film's IMAX release. Plot specifics have remained scarce, but Venom - directed by Zombieland filmmaker Ruben Fleischer - will follow Eddie Brock (Hardy), a journalist who connects with a Symbiote that gives him superpowers.

Oscar nominee Hardy is bringing a rather formidable acting pedigree to the part, having had roles in, among other films and TV shows, Inception, Peaky Blinders, and Mad Max: Fury Road - not to mention his bout as Bane in 2012's The Dark Knight Rises. But now, he's looking to advance his comic book movie career with yet another morally ambiguous character.

Tom Hardy revealed Venom's IMAX poster on Instagram yesterday, and the image is both haunting and mesmerizing. Take a look:


In case anyone has forgotten, the poster serves as an effective reminder that Venom has lots of teeth and a tongue that he uses to a very creepy effect. More interestingly, though, the style of the illustration evokes the character's amorphous nature. Its frayed edges suggest a lack of boundaries - not only between Venom and his background on the poster, but also between Venom and Brock himself.

Venom is sure to explore the nature of Brock's relationship with the Symbiote he's hosting, and leading up to the film's release next month, many fans have wondered how it would do so - more specifically, they've wondered what the movie would be rated. When Venom's PG-13 rating was revealed, concerns were raised about how effective a movie about Venom, an especially violent and dark character, could be depicted without the mainstays of R-rated films. A possible explanation for the PG-13 rating is that it more easily leaves the door open for Venom and Spider-Man to meet on the big screen, given the difficulties that could be involved with meshing franchises with fundamentally different maturity levels and tones.

For what it's worth, Venom's director has said that he wouldn't rule out an unrated cut of the movie. Regardless, though, a PG-13 rating is no reason to discount the movie ahead of seeing it. If recent trailers are any indication, Venom is going to be as grim, energetic, and visceral as its source material has long been. The IMAX poster that Hardy shared is yet another reason to be optimistic about the movie: Venom is front-and-center, and this movie is proud about him. And besides, Hardy is contracted for three Venom movies - so the first one needs to be good, because it would be a waste to not get the other two.

Release Date:

  • Venom (2018) release date: Oct 05, 2018